What comes to mind when you see the term “Gospel-centered” applied to children’s and youth curricula? For some, this description depicts a curriculum in which every single lesson presents an easy-to-recite, step-by-step overview of the Gospel that students are encouraged to affirm. For others, there is a belief that every lesson must explicitly connect to Jesus’ redeeming work. At CDG, we believe being “Gospel-centered” entails understanding and committing to the following in our resources:
The central message of the Bible culminates in the Person and work of Jesus—the Gospel—in which He brings sinners near to God. The Gospel is simple, yet amazingly profound, freely offered, yet extremely costly, and should be communicated as such. We believe this is best done by repeatedly drawing attention to essential Gospel truths found throughout Scripture: God is the sovereign Creator and Ruler; God is holy; man is sinful; God is just; God is merciful; Jesus is holy and righteous; Jesus died to save sinners; etc. Every lesson presents one or more of these essential truths, and every curriculum, as a whole, clearly and explicitly presents the Gospel to children.
Note that last sentence for a moment: Every lesson presents one or more of these essential truths, and every curriculum, as a whole, clearly and explicitly presents the Gospel to children. This is a very important distinction that is often misunderstood. We believe that these “essential truths”—found from Genesis to Revelation—are crucial for a right understanding of the Gospel for our children and students. These truths and doctrines anchor the Gospel within the proper context of the whole counsel of God. So, while there is a place at times for a type of easy to recite, step-by-step overview of the Gospel, it is not the norm in our lessons. And yes, connecting Old Testaments themes and events explicitly to Jesus and His redeeming work is crucial to do at times and in age-appropriate ways, but not exclusively and not at the expense of giving our students a systematic teaching of essential Gospel doctrines. Here are three free, resources that can help both teachers and small group leaders better understand our approach in our curriculum and its implementation in the classroom:
Communicating the Gospel within the Whole Counsel of God This six-page handout highlights the key points from my 2016 National Conference seminar of the same title. It provides a foundational rationale for our desire to see the Gospel presented to children within a more comprehensive biblical context.
Sharing the Gospel With Children This two-page resource (tucked away in the Appendix section of our curriculum) gives some practical suggestions for sharing the Gospel in the classroom setting.
10 Essential Gospel Truths This is a handy one-page summary of 10 Gospel truths that we believe are essential for children to know and embrace. Each truth statement has one or more accompanying texts. Teachers and small group leaders can use this as a guide for instruction, review, and discussion with their students.
